All animals change as they live and grow. They begin life as tiny creatures. They become adults that will produce their own young. The kangaroo has its own life cycle.

Kangaroos Are Mammals

Kangaroos are mammals. Mammals don't lay eggs.They give birth to live young. They are covered with hair and fur. They feed their young milk from their own bodies. They are warm blooded animals.Their body tempature stays the same. It doesn't matter how warm or cold the air is around them.

Marsupials

Kangaroos belong to the marsupial family. Marsupials are very tiny when they are born. They grow in a pouch on their mother's skin. They live there until they are able to look after themselves.

Living in Mobs

Kangaroos live in warm areas of australia. They form family groups called mobs. Every mob has a few adult males, several females, and their young. One adult male is the leader. Younger kangaroos and some adults may join other mobs. Mobs are bigger when there is more food.

Nocturnal Feeders

Kangaroos eat grasses and other small plants. Most kangaroos are nocturnal feeders. They eat at night or in the early morning when the weather is cool. They rest in shady places during the day. Sometimes they dig hollows in the ground where they can stay cool.

Drinking

Kangaroos drink from creeks and pools. They also dig holes to find water. Kangaroos recieve water from plants they eat.

Courting and Mating

A female kangaroo is ready to mate when she is between 18 months and three years old. Male kangaroos are ready to mate when they are three years old. A male fights for the chance to mate with a female. He kicks and boxes other males. He snorts to warn them to keep away. The male who wins then courts the female for one or two hours before he mates with her.

Birth

The female is ready to give birth five weeks after mating. She uses her tongue to clean the inside of her pouch. A newborn is very small. It is about 1 inch long. It is blind and deaf. It has no fur. It has a soft cartilage instead of bones.

Into The Pouch

The very small kangaroo pulls itself up it's mother's fur with it's strong front legs. It uses its sense of smell to find its way into it's mother's pouch. The journey to the pouch takes about three minutes to get inside. The mother kangaroo doesn't help the newborn at all.

The Newborn

The mothers of the newborn have four teats in their pouch. The newborn kangaroo sucks on one of the teats. The newborn is still very small when it is only four days old. The newborn is a little bigger when it is 3 weeks old. The teat swells in the newborns mouth and holds it safely in place. The newborn can now feed on its mother's milk. When the newborn is still in the mother's pouch the mother uses her strong muscles to hold her pouch closed. The muscles close the mothers pouch so when she goes swimming no water gets inside the pouch.

The Joey

The newborn grows very fast. When it is about 4 months old, it is called the joey. It is the size of a cat and has fur. The joey can leave the mother's pouch when it is 5 months old. It stays out of the mother's pouch for short periods of time. The joey learns how to hop with it's strong back legs. The joey leaves the mothers pouch for the last time when it is just over 7 months old. Now it is called a young at heel. The young at heel still drinks from it's mother's teat. It stays close to it's mother until it is 20 months old.

Life Span

Kangaroos can live to be 15 to 20 years old. The female stays with her young until it is able to look after itself. A young kangaroo has a very good chance of growing to be an adult and have a young of its own.

What are they called? The male is called a Boomer, Buck, Jack, And Old man. The female is called a Flyer, Jill, and a Roo. The baby is called the joey.